


Carelessness

by keep_me_alone



Series: Moral Lessons [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Abduction, Kidnapping, Murder, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2016-02-04
Packaged: 2018-05-18 03:43:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5896849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keep_me_alone/pseuds/keep_me_alone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jedi aid is requested on a distant planet. Children are being taken in the night, but why and by who? Obi-Wan and Anakin seek answers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Violence will be in P2. of this chapter, some other pretty unsavoury stuff in the meantime.

Anakin was practically jogging to keep up with Obi-Wan, who was effortlessly striding through the crowded market. He cast a glance back to make sure Anakin was keeping pace, then continued moving through the crowd with a surety and ease that Anakin envied. Eirraucs, the local people, loped by, using their long second set of arms to propel themselves forward. A three toed foot flew by Anakin’s head, barely missing him. Anakin discreetly held onto the back of Obi-Wan’s coat. If his master noticed, he gave no sign of it.

Soon enough they were out of the busy square and standing in front of the town hall. Unlike most of the other buildings, it was two stories, made from the rock mined from its own basement. Obi-Wan turned to his small padawan, who instantly released his cloak.

“Remember Anakin, do not speak unless you are asked a direct question. We still don’t know why they’ve requested a Jedi presence.” Anakin nodded gravely, without speaking to show he understood.

The inside of the hall was much cooler without the heat of Eirrauus’s double suns beating down on them. The council was waiting for them inside, four Eirraucs and two humans. They were sitting arranged in a semi-circle. As the pair approached hushed murmurs broke out.

“Welcome,” One of the Eirraucs spoke. “If you are the Jedi we asked for, you have come at a desperate time.”

“We are,” Obi-Wan confirmed. “I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, and this is my padawan, Anakin Skywalker. We came as soon as the Jedi council received your transmission. It was,” he paused, “ not specific, however.”

“They did not tell us you were bringing a boy with you,” The same Eirrauc spoke.

“Anakin will not be in the way,” Obi-Wan assured them, “he is here only to learn and observe.” All members of the council shared a similar look of concern.

“This is not a safe place for children, right now,” one of the humans protested.

“Eilane is right,” the Eirrauc agreed.

“Anakin is better equipped to deal with emergencies than most boys of his age,” Obi-Wan replied. He hid his aggravation well, but he had not been prepared to meet with such resistance.

“Children have been snatched from their beds!” Eilane protested, her white hair falling into her face. “We’ve lost ten this week. Two, every night are gone. Master Lun, send them away,” she sounded desperate. Obi-Wan inhaled deeply. He had sensed that something was intensely wrong the moment they’d disembarked. This was unexpected; it took a special sort of depravity to prey on younglings.

“If your children are still alive, we will find them,” Obi-Wan promised grimly. “Come along Anakin, we’ve work to do.” They exited the council chambers, leaving the assembly to whisper amongst themselves.

“Am I in danger, master?” Anakin asked. He was sweating heavily in the sun’s glare.

“The life of a Jedi is fraught with danger,” Obi-Wan reminded him, “and there are almost always lives at stake. Ten children have gone missing. They are likely dead. Do you worry also for them, or only yourself?” Anakin blushed furiously and bowed his head. Obi-Wan tried to dismiss the guilt he felt, surely it was normal for a boy of only eleven to be anxious in the face of such evil, but Anakin was not any boy and padawans, he knew, must face harsh truths sooner than later. 

* * *

 

 

They searched the entire afternoon, listening to conversation, asking pointed question. Obi-Wan learned very little. The villagers were afraid, especially the Eirraucs, seven of the children taken had been theirs. The suns were beginning to set when one of the villagers pointed them towards the local cantina, having heard some interesting claims there the previous night. And so off Obi-Wan and Anakin went.

When they reached the tavern, Obi-Wan leaned down to put both hands on Anakin’s shoulders.

“Stay here,” he ordered, “I will not be long,” if there was a concrete lead to be had, he doubted it would be revealed to him in Anakin’s presence. Obi-Wan sensed this to be true; he would have to be discrete. Anakin watched his master disappear with a sense of foreboding. He’d been feeling it all day in the Force, something building, a wave rising that threatened to crash and swallow them. He kicked a stray pebble over the smooth rock beneath his feet, then chastised himself for being childish. He was glad that this settlement was on the rocky plains and not the desert that covered most of the planet. The wind that snatched at his hair and drove grit into his face could’ve easily become a sandstorm. The mere thought practically made Anakin shudder.

The burning yellow suns had almost dipped below the horizon. Anakin watched the sunset peacefully. The sky was painted with violent pink and a deep bruised purple when Obi-Wan reappeared. He stopped just outside the doorway and joined Anakin’s vigil for a moment.

“I found what I needed,” Obi-Wan remarked, “A villager claims to have heard chanting near the caves a few miles outside of town. We will search the area tomorrow.” Anakin turned to him, brow furrowed.

“Why not tonight? They might get more children tonight while we’re sleeping.”

“They might,” Obi-Wan agreed solemnly, “but Eirrauus has no moon. We’d be more likely to break our own necks than find anything useful and doing so may alert whoever’s been taking the children. We have been relatively unnoticed thus far and it is best that we remain so.”

“But-,” Obi-Wan silenced him with a shake of his head.

“Tomorrow, for now, we will have to spend the night here,” his lips were a thin line. “There aren’t other facilities for lodging Offworld guests.”

“I don’t mind,” Anakin shrugged.

“By the end of the night you might,” Obi-Wan informed him bleakly.

* * *

 

 

The tavern was a busy place. Anakin felt deafened by the noise. Obi-Wan kept his hands firmly on Anakin’s shoulders, steering him towards the staircase at the back of the room. Anakin’s eyes were wide as he took in the scantily clad human servers carrying trays of jet juice and bright blue drinks to patrons who hollered as the women leaned to serve them. The place was full of humans, mostly men, jostling each other for a place at the bar, singing drunken songs that Obi-Wan dearly hoped Anakin could not understand. As they climbed the stairs Obi-Wan was forced to release Anakin’s shoulders. He was tempted to carry his padawan the rest of the way after he spotted the passed out Eirrauc in the stairwell. He resisted the urge and it was just as well because their room was only a few meters away. Obi-Wan unlocked the door with the primitive key the owner had given him and surveyed the room.

As far as tavern lodgings went it didn’t look too bad. The sheets on the bed looked clean enough, though unsavoury smells hung in the air. From somewhere down the hall he could hear the repeated squeaking of old bedsprings. Obi-Wan cringed; this was not somewhere any eleven year old boy should have to stay, but it was their only option for the present.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter could potentially be triggering for violence against children so pls keep that in mind.  
> Stay safe!

Anakin slept fitfully as he often did. He woke many times, believing he heard the screams of lost children in the night. Obi-Wan lay next to him in a light trance. Each time Anakin awoke; watching the rise and fall of his master’s chest soothed him and if he didn’t fall asleep again in short order, Obi-Wan would stroke his hair and send him off with the slightest Force suggestion.

It was very late at night when Obi-Wan was startled awake. The Force was greatly disturbed. He kept his breathing even and calm as he heard the tumblers in the lock shift and then click open. Obi-Wan lay with his eyes shut.  Someone was in the room now. The hairs on Obi-Wan’s neck prickled. The darkness in the Force was overwhelming. He breathed calmly. The person came to the edge of the bed and stood silently. The tension in the room was almost driving Obi-Wan to distraction, but he still he forced himself to continue his false sleep. There was a muffled squeak beside him and Obi-Wan felt Anakin being lifted off the bed. His Force signature dulled immediately. Obi-Wan’s heart raced as the person left as stealthily as they had come, taking Anakin with them.

 As soon as they had left the room, Obi-Wan sprang up. He paused at the top of the stairs, kneeling to try and catch a glimpse of the kidnapper. There was nothing but silence and impenetrable gloom. Obi-Wan crept down the stairs, sensing the kidnapper was still inside. He couldn’t sense Anakin at all. The tavern’s door creaked open and Obi-Wan dashed down the stairs as the kidnapper exited. He pressed himself to the wall and carefully looked out the door. The night was an unbroken blackness. Stars glimmered distantly, but provided no illumination to the rock below. Obi-Wan knew there wasn’t much cover. He’d have to be very careful.

As he slipped out the door and began following the kidnapper, he was guided by the Force alone. Every instinct screamed at him to go, dispatch the kidnapper and rescue Anakin. Obi-Wan knew if he did that, their presence would be revealed. He also knew it was likely that this person wasn’t working alone and that even if he handled the one, more would escape. Still, his hand reflexively drifted towards his lightsabers hilt. He realized with a jolt that he’d taken it off to sleep and neglected to replace it in his hurry. Obi-Wan silently cursed everything in the Force forsaken galaxy. It was too late to go back for it now, Anakin and the other younglings would surely be lost.

Obi-Wan judged that he had been following the kidnapper for about a half hour when he lost them. Dismissing his rising panic, Obi-Wan breathed deeply. It took several, unbearably long minutes before he was centred enough to pick up the signal again. They had gone underground. The caves were more like burrows, descending deep into the planet’s rocky surface. Obi-Wan allowed his unease to pass before starting down the appropriate tunnel. He had sensed at least nine sentient life forms. The stench of decay was thick in the tunnels. A flickering light illuminated the tunnel around a sharp bend. As he neared it, Obi-Wan could hear the muttered chanting that the villager had spoken of.

 Obi-Wan peered very carefully around the corner. Anakin was lying on some sort of rough altar. His wrists and feet were tied. Four robed humans were standing around him. Obi-Wan saw the glint of a dagger as one of the cultists cut his shirt open.

He was readying himself to move when something struck the back of his head. It hurt badly, but he’d endured much worse. Obi-Wan spun around. A human had come up behind him and struck him with the butt of a blaster. Obi-Wan reached for the lightsaber he wasn’t carrying.

He improvised, yanking the human towards him with the Force. They weren’t expecting it and stumbled into him. Obi-Wan grabbed the blaster and cracked it over his assailants face. The man fell heavily and Obi-Wan turned back to the horrific scene. The person was standing over Anakin, knife raised high. Obi-Wan didn’t think. He shot. The man dropped and the other robed people scattered. Obi-Wan had time to shoot one of the murderers in the knee before the other two were on him. Obi-Wan was exceedingly calm. He let the Force guide him as the pair, a man and a woman, attacked from opposite sides. He spun neatly blocking their clumsy blows, grateful that neither of them had thought to pick up the ritualistic knife. Obi-Wan stepped out of the way of the man’s punch, then easily clubbed him with the pistol. When the woman faltered, he flipped over her and struck the back of her neck. The ordeal had lasted only a few short minutes. Obi-Wan was leaning down to check for a pulse when the Force warned him. The man he’d shot earlier leapt towards him, knife drawn. Obi-Wan turned and shot, letting the Force guide his aim. The shot hit the man squarely in the face.

Obi-Wan quickly checked the cult members for survivors. There were none. Obi-Wan knew he should’ve felt regret at the loss of life, but he felt nothing. A sound quickly caught his attention. Quiet sobbing. Some of the children were alive then. Obi-Wan’s heart soared as he went to the back of the room.

In the entrance to one of the branching tunnels stood a crude, wooden cage. Obi-Wan felt sick. He unbolted the door. None of the children moved. They huddled at the back of the enclosure, staring at him with wide eyes. Obi-Wan remembered that they’d just seen him kill five people. He took a deep breath and sent a wave of calming energy towards the younglings. Some of them visibly relaxed.

“It’s time to go home,” Obi-Wan said softly, “you’re all right,” one of the children threw himself into Obi-Wan’s arms. Obi-Wan hugged him, chest aching. He stood, slowly releasing the child. “It’s time to go,” Obi-Wan said more firmly, “your parents are very worried.” As the children emerged, Obi-Wan went to Anakin. His padawan stirred sluggishly when Obi-Wan touched his face. His Force signature was still dampened and Obi-Wan surmised that the kidnapper must’ve drugged him. Obi-Wan pursed his lips tightly before picking up Anakin and slinging him over one shoulder.

 He held out his free hand and the Eirrauc child who had hugged him earlier took it. Only four of the children, not counting Anakin, had survived. Obi-Wan’s heart ached for the mothers and fathers whose children would not be returning. There was nothing that even a Jedi could do to assuage that pain. Obi-Wan looked back at the younglings, most still looked dazed, one was crying silently. He wondered if the memories of this time would ever fade for them. Obi-Wan sincerely doubted it. He sent another wave of soothing energy towards the children. It was all he could do.

“Come along younglings,” he called softly, “hold hands. I don’t want to lose any of you.”  The children obediently formed a line. Obi-Wan walked slowly from the tunnels, children following him like a trail of ducklings. As he stepped above ground and into the soft light of sunrise, he looked back. The sight of the children blinking in the light warmed him.

All had not been lost today.

**Author's Note:**

> To Be Continued


End file.
